USA: Plague is an increasing risk for Georgia blueberries
A farmer recently complained that his blueberry bushes are less vigorous and with a weak root system. After examining the root system, he discovers that the roots are infested with numerous round, small, yellowish-brown cysts that are identified as ground pearls.
The pearls of earth or margarodes They are subterranean insects which, as the name implies, are small round insects, from pink to yellowish brown and similar in appearance to the slow-release fertilizer pellets found in cultivated plants.
Unlike their relatives, the margarodes They retain their well-developed fossorial legs and excrete a waxy covering that surrounds their entire body except their sucking mouthparts. The ground pearls are identified by the presence of small bodies in the roots or in the ground, ranging from 1 / 6 inch to something as small as a grain of sand.
El margarodes It affects and causes economic damage in sugarcane crops, grapes, berries, raspberries, blueberries and in several other annual and perennial plant species. The degree of damage depends on their population density and more than 150.000 cysts per bush have been reported in blueberries.
At high densities, cranberry bushes appear less vigorous. Other symptoms may include: chlorotic leaves with gradual loss, reduced production and mortality of young plants, which combine to make the cultivation unfeasible in heavily infested areas. Due to their small size and subterranean habitat, the ground pearls move only between 4 to 6 inches per year by natural means. The dispersion over long distances of the margarodes is attributed to anthropogenic causes including the movement of infested organic materials and the sale of contaminated plants in the nursery. Certain species of ants, such as Argentine ants, have also transported this pest to new areas.
The ground pearls they have been reported as a pest in Australia, Africa, the Caribbean, North America, South America, and Southwest Asia. In the United States they are a serious problem in the southeastern and southwestern states.
It is extremely important to take precautionary measures to protect blueberries from infections of the ground pearls because it is very difficult and takes a long time to control them in perennial cultivation systems such as blueberries. When establishing a new blueberry plantation, carefully examine the roots of the nursery plants to avoid planting blueberries already infested with the ground pearls.
Source: Southeastfarmpress.com
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